ICONIC INNOVATIONS
Having provided legendary innovations and practical solutions to offshore and onshore energy challenges for nearly 30 years, ICON Engineering is a leader in the oil and gas sector. We take a deep dive into the companyās daring past and even more ambitious future with David Field, Managing Director
Writer:
Lauren Kania | Project Manager: Joshua
Mann
For nearly three decades, ICON Engineering Pty Ltd (ICON) has had a track record of providing cost-effective, truly innovative, and practical turnkey solutions to the technical challenges of exploiting offshore petroleum resources in a safe, sustainable, and reliable manner.
Founded in Perth, Western Australia, in 1997, the company has made an international name for itself, executing world-first offshore installation methods and designing novel equipment as a responsive oilfield service provider.
Having successfully executed hundreds of projects spanning the worldās major oil regions, including Australia, the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the US, Canada, Singapore, the UK, Trinidad, Middle East, Norway, and the North Sea, ICON provides a onestop turnkey service for the concept, design, fabrication, and installation of some very innovative solutions.
This innovative approach is key to the companyās culture of encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and finding creative solutions.
āWe are known for solving tricky problems. Itās often those problems that are keeping Energy Company Executives awake at night that we are engaged to fix,ā introduces David Field, Managing Director.
āSome people say that failing often is the key to success. In our industry, however, we cannot fail at all, as when things go wrong, they go wrong very badly. So, to build new things that do not break takes a lot of thinking and lots of experience ā which weāve managed to do very carefully and successfully for a long time.ā
ICON has grown its products and services organically from customers seeking support for problems they cannot solve or wanting to do things differently, with approximately 80 percent of the companyās revenue being repeat clients, referrals or untended work. Many solutions of
course become product lines as often the same problems occur industry wide.
ICON has been particularly innovative in the drilling and offshore installation areas, that combination of skills is itself unique, bridging the two big silos of the industry ā offshore projects and drilling.
With innovation being a core part of its DNA, ICON has worked to differentiate itself from the rest of the sector through a variety of distinctive means.
āPrimarily, ICON situates itself as a truly customer-focused company with a mission to generate amazed customers stoked with our service. For many years, we have realised that the overused phrase of customer satisfaction is a very low bar, so we wonāt settle until each customer is beyond amazed with the final product. This, of course, creates strong referrals and repeat business.
āItās a small industry with lots of interconnected networks. We are proud to be Australian-owned and based and work hard to maintain our global relationships and reputation,ā asserts Field.
BAPTISM BY FIRE
Having studied civil engineering at the University of Western Australia, Field initially went into the water supply industry before realising his calling lay elsewhere.
Inspired by a friend working on the Piper Alpha platform replacement after the 1988 disaster, Field went to work for the UK engineering company, Brown and Root Vickers.
āI would call it a baptism by fire! I worked in a 16-storey building in London that was stocked full of other engineers from all over the world hired to build these replacement platforms in record time,ā he reminisces.
After this fast-paced and intensive experience, Field worked for a variety of other big-name companies,
including Saipem, Clough, and WAPET (now Chevron), furthering this already extensive portfolio.
Soon, Field realised he wanted to go a step further in his career and start a company specialising in the installation of offshore oil platforms.
APAC OUTLOOK: HOW
Thus, with a team of two other experienced colleagues, ICON was brought to fruition.
āOur first job was in Malaysia, and our friends in Perth couldnāt believe what we were doing since we were a brand new company consisting of
DOES ICON ENGINEERING EMPHASISE DELIVERING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND ENCOURAGING REPEAT CUSTOMERS?
David Field, Managing Director: āThere is a metaphor I like to use when it comes to how we view customer satisfaction and the long-term retention of our clients ā you are satisfied if you take your clothes to the dry cleaner and get them back clean without them being lost.
āBut every dry cleaner does that, and if they donāt, theyāre out of business.
āSuppose, however, the dry cleaner goes a step further and replaces the missing button on a rare old school jacket by sourcing it from an old man with a massive button collection and not charging you extra. In that case, not only will you continue to go back there, but you will end up telling your friends and family about that dry cleaner as well. Itās simply good business and generates longlasting relationships and referrals; that is how we like to view our relationship with our clients ā always going above and beyond.ā
only three people. Nonetheless, we headed to Malaysia and successfully installed an offshore platform, cementing ourselves as a serious player in the international sector,ā he attests.
Since then, Field has developed a track record of managing the installation of jackets and topsides, utilising float-over and jack-up rig installation methods, alongside personally supervising the installation of many significant offshore structures across different countries.
Currently, from an engineering perspective, he finds the industry to be incredibly exciting despite many modern challenges, such as the transition from oil and gas to renewable energy.
āThe reality is that oil and gas are used in so many different types of products that many canāt even imagine, such as computer screens, sunglasses, shoes, car tyres, and roads, so there has to be a pragmatic transition and people are starting to recognise that,ā Field insights.
Equally, those within the oil and gas sector are best placed to provide alternative energy methods, particularly anything put in the ocean, as they possess the offshore engineering skills and principles developed over many years of safely building offshore facilities floating or fixed, which allow them to seamlessly shift to constructing offshore wind facilities.
A REPUTATION FOR SUCCESS
ICONās motto ā ālegendary innovation, practical solutionsā ā is a direct testament to its capabilities and attitude,Ā coined directly from client comments.
With a team consisting of technical experts who design and deliver state-of-the-art turnkey solutions, the company boasts an impeccable record of safely delivering revolutionary projects and does not take the responsibility of its promised slogan lightly.
āWE HAVE A REPUTATION FOR COMING UP WITH NOVEL AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS AND CONCEPTS FOR VERY REMOTE FIELDS WHERE THE COST OF BUILDING ANYTHING CAN BE HUGELY EXPENSIVEā
ā DAVID FIELD, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ICON ENGINEERING
āWhen workshopping the company motto, we asked ā what does it mean to work at ICON? What does it mean for customers when they deal with us? Why are customers coming to ICON?ā details Field.
āWe heard the same sentiments
repeated multiple times over and worked it down to just four words that represent our collective drive, passion, and output.ā
One such example of ICONās legendary innovation was a float-over installation completed in Malaysia.
ICON SERVICES AND PRODUCTS
ā¢ Engineering and management services
ā¢ Offshore field development and decommissioning, wellhead platforms, and subsea umbilicals, risers, and flowlines (SURF)
ā¢ Drilling, completions, and subsea support
ā¢ Drilling and completion equipment
ā¢ Rig modifications, vessels, and platform modifications
ā¢ Offshore renewables
This type of project is typically conducted utilising an offshore crane barge, however, the client requested that it be installed without one.
After an afternoon at the drawing board, the company was able to find a method to build an offshore forklift truck to lift the structure and place it onto the platform using hydraulic rams.
The company supersedes practical solutions through its ability and willingness to get face-to-face with its projects.
āPractical means weāve got engineers who are used to getting grease under their fingernails. Weāre not just sitting in a design office drawing up plans; we follow designs through to offshore execution,ā explains Field.
ICON furthers its repertoire of cutting-edge offerings and services through its industry-leading speciality niche of offshore platforms installed
āWEāRE NOT JUST SITTING IN A DESIGN OFFICE DRAWING UP PLANS; WE FOLLOW DESIGNS THROUGH TO OFFSHORE EXECUTIONā
ā DAVID FIELD, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ICON ENGINEERING
with jack-up drilling rigs.
Additionally, due to the companyās established reputation for successfully conducting highly engineered products, it was approached to help address a potential major accident event (MAE) where two global operators both recognised they had a serious risk regarding new drilling rigs.Ā ICON was brought on to develop unique drilling heave compensation equipment to mitigate the risk using only the highest quality equipment. The company was able to successfully complete this project and help avoid
any potential MAEs, situating itself as a leading drilling equipment company.
DELIVERING LASTING SOLUTIONS
ICON recognises that its team of technical experts is central to the companyās impeccable record of delivering projects efficiently and safely.
The company boasts a culture of continued professional growth and development and believes in fully investing in its people alongside actively planning for succession.
āOur employees are without a doubt
our most valuable asset. Whilst we own plenty of equipment and physical assets, none of it is worth anything without our people,ā dictates Field.
āDespite being around for over 25 years, we try to keep that new company feel and are continually on the lookout for change, talent and different opportunities.ā
āWe have amazing staff with some amazing out-of-work interests achievingĀ work-life balance.
āOne of our employees, after recovering from a broken neck,Ā climbed the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents, the āSeven Summitsā challengeĀ in world record time, another employee is to be featured in a BASE-jumping documentary, one produces short films in his spare time, and another has won the Rottnest Channel Swim twice,ā enthuses Field.
Of equal importance is the
A LEADING LOGISTICS COMPANY IN BRUNEI
MOC Sdn Bhd was established in 1995. Since then, MOC has tripled in size and progressed to become one of the leading logistics companies in Brunei Darussalam. Some of its global certifications include achieving the ISO 9001:2015, IATA and TRACE standards.
All staff assigned to the following services are all well-trained, experienced and dedicated.
Our services include:
ā¢ Freight
ā¢ Husbanding Operations
ā¢ Transportation
ā¢ Special Projects / Assignments
ā¢ Warehousing and Storage
companyās relationships with suppliers and partners.
ICON balances long-term supply chain relationships alongside utilising suppliers from local communities in the different countries where we operate.
āIf weāre working in a foreign country, we like to find out what can be sourced locally. This is good for the local community, the client, and for us, as we get the opportunity to meet new people and suppliers to add to our contacts,ā Field insights.
Maintaining a global supply chain and key partnerships are crucial factors for the company, ultimately allowing it to conduct a wide range of projects, utilising external skills,Ā and provide offerings seamlessly and rapidly.
As ICON continues to look towards the future, it is focused on expanding its footprint across the globe and into currently untapped foreign markets. Post-COVID-19 use of low-cost
video conferencing is making this increasingly easier.
Additionally, it is actively integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its activities.
āWe believe AI has the potential to allow for increased productivity, knowledge base management, and corporate knowledge sharing to assist staff members,ā concludes Field.
Through ICONās vast experience, talented team, continuous growth, and relentless pursuit of legendary innovation, it continues to carve a name for itself in oil and gas history.
Tel: +61 8 6313 5500 busdev@iconeng.com.au https://www.iconeng.com.au